Decorating for Christmas

Well folks, it’s not even December and I have already assembled and decorated my Christmas Tree. I used to be utterly opposed to this if it was not at least December 1st, but it is simply difficult to resist when the whole country seems to be PUSHING the holiday “spirit.” …Did I say holiday spirit? What I meant to say was commercialism/consumerism.

Though I seemed to have partaken in the early Christmas craze, I was astonished by the amount of businesses that were open this year on Thanksgiving Day. Thanksgiving is suppose to be the one day of the year that we all get a “break” and spend quality (or chaotic) time with our family and friends. Hugs, kisses, scrumptious home cooking, heated arguments, laughter, insults–the whole nine yards. We have the right to experience this without the interruption of petty spending and work.

Anyway, Thanksgiving set aside, this is my first time decorating my OWN house for Christmas. With that said, I’ve already assembled the MASSIVE artificial tree in the family room. It looked rather hilarious at first since it seems to cover part of the fireplace. However, now that it is decorated and the village was placed on the mantel, it looks a little less overwhelming. The pictures are not ideal due to the lighting. I assure you that it is much better in person. Perhaps when Grace returns from school she will take pictures with her nice new camera.

Painting on a whim…& the bird incident.

Before

Last weekend I finally snapped. I could no longer deal with the cheap contractor’s beige that permeated the walls of my study. As the room that contains my computer and board games, this is one of my most lived-in rooms. Therefore, being that I am a clutz, I tend to have many spills and accidents. And if you’ve ever dealt with contractor’s paint, you know that whether it’s water or oil, a splash on the wall will stain.

After…

Speaking of stains, one of the wall stains that you may not expect to be inside of a house is, well, bird poop. A few weeks ago I came home from work and heard a strange noise coming from my study. My heart began to race as I carefully entered the room only to find a poor bird, frantically flying from window to window in an attempt to escape. Since then, I have come to the conclusion that there are birds living in my chimney and one somehow squeezed its way into

After! Grace’s camera takes better pictures

my home. That will be an issue I’ll deal with some other time. The bird also explained why Lewey, who has become better about peeing in the house, had had an accident in the kitchen that day. I’m sure that he was very excited to have another animal in the house!

At least the space seems cozy..

Since that incident, I have continued to find bird poop that I managed to miss in the initial clean up. Oh, how did I get the bird out? I opened the window and it flew away…..probably back into my chimney, but at least not into my study.

Back to the paint-so I journeyed to Home Depot one Sunday afternoon, grabbed a handful of paint samples, chose one, and then purchased the paint. I knew that if I didn’t do this right then and there, I would never have the courage to choose a color. You live, you learn. I’m not entirely pleased with it because of the cool, purple undertones. I would have preferred warmer, reds or oranges, but paint is a funny thing. Sometimes I think it just does what it wants. As a rationalization, at least I can paint over it. It’s not permanent.However, I can’t say that I ENJOY painting, so that probably won’t happen for a while.

On to other things for now. Like decorating for Christmas….and hopefully a garage door opener.